The Mind Inside Yang Style Tai Chi: Lao Liu Lu 22-Posture Short Form

By Henry Zhuang

USA Best Books Award FINALIST - 2016This is the anticipated follow-up to the author’s previous work, The Mind Inside Tai Chi (YMAA, 2015). In this edition he turns his attention to Yang style, guiding you through the 22-step form with an eye for detail and a love of nuance.

“Tai chi is born from wuji, a state of emptiness,” Zhuang writes. “Empty the mind. There is no yin or yang, no you or others.”

From this state of balance and grace, the author leads you through the Yang form, one step at a time. Illustrations with motion arrows guide your physical movements, while Zhuang’s “mind approach” helps you appreciate the subtleties of each posture. Rich descriptions and vivid imagery bring the art to life.

• Begin with “nothing” by stilling the body and mind.
• Channel your intent to stimulate the flow of chi.
• Learn the entire 22-step Yang form.
• Explore the “mind approach,” discovering a deeper understanding of each posture.

The author instructs you on correct physical posture, footwork, weight distribution, and tempo. He also describes subtle aspects of the form, including vision, relaxation, and the flow of chi.

This book includes:
• The history and lineage of Yang style.
• Photographs of the author performing each posture.
• Motion arrows depicting the movements of the entire form.

If you are unfamiliar with Yang style, The Mind Inside Yang Style Tai Chi is the perfect place to begin. If you are a longtime practitioner, Henry Zhuang’s insight will deepen your appreciation for this art.

• Language: English
• Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
• Release date: Jul 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781594393549

Henry Zhuang

Henry Zhuang (Zhuang, Yinghao), born in Shanghai, China, Dec. 11, 1944, is a professional asset and enterprise evaluator and a part-time associate professor at Shanghai Normal University, School of Finance and Business. He loves taijiquan and practices the Buddhadharma. Currently, he is a partner of a professional asset evaluation company, but his lifelong ambition is the promotion of taijiquan culture. He has studied with: Li Zhao Sheng, the creator of Meridian Circulating Taijiquan; Zhu Datong, researcher of taijiquan; Yan Cheng De, a disciple of Zhu Guiting (inheritor of Yang Style); Xu Guo Chang (student of Ding De Sheng, disciple of Master Wu Gong Yi) from whom he learned Wu (Gong Yi) Style Taijiquan. He has acknowledged Shou Guan Shun (student of Zhi Xie Tang, inheritor of Sun Style Taijiquan) as his master, and been accepted as a disciple by Duan Baohua, the principle master of Liang Yi Dian Xue Gongfu. By the end of the 1990s, concepts of the mind inside the internal power of taijiquan became public. It had been hidden from the public and almost lost. This drove Henry to study the mind approach of internal power with passion. He was fortunate to be instructed by Lang Cheng and Guo Zheng Xun, disciples of Wei Shu Ren (inheritor of The Mind Approach of Internal Power of Yang Style). Since 2000, Henry has been giving free lessons on the mind approach of taijiquan to more than sixty business executives, including presidents of prominent companies, partners of the Big Four, bank presidents, and senior managers. For fifteen years, Henry and the taiji fellows have been learning and benefiting from each other. Many of them are now competent teachers of the mind approach. However, teaching face to face has its limitations in spreading the idea of the mind approach. Therefore, from 2012, he started to put his understanding and perceptions into writing books and producing videos. In May 2013, The Mind Approach by Henry Zhuang was published by SDX Joint Publishing Company; during January 2014, the flash of The Mind Approach of Wu Style Taiji Quan (Chinese) was published globally in Apple’s App Store; in March 2014, the publishing contract of book and ebook on the mind approach was signed between Henry and YMAA Publication Center. IPTV of China Telecom has listed The Mind Approach of Taiji Preservation Coaching as an important content for the Health Channel.